Harry Got a Home!

Hello Feral Friends-

After only being on petfinder for 3 hours, I got an email from a girl named Kelli who was interested in Fanny or Harry. When she came over today she decided on Harry. This was great cuz one of my neighbors is actually interested in Fanny. So today, September 27, 2006, I did my first Carol's Ferals and Friendlies Adoption!

Little Harry found a home. Here are the happy adoptive parents with their new baby!
Kelli Hansen, David Johnson & HARRY!

6 Hell House Cats - Get a New Home!

Hello Feral Friends-

Many of you have been following the story of the Hell House Cats that I happened upon in the early spring. If not, (and you would like to), run back through the archives and start reading the blog entries in April.

I'm very pleased to report: 6 Hell House cats INCLUDING Houdini have been taken to their new home at the Double JJ Ranch in Rothbury, MI (a little North of Muskegon).

Linda Hicks is the Equestrian Director there and was looking for some barn cats to control the mouse population. I would do some mouse TNR, but I have to focus my attention on the cats!
Plus, I'm not sure that Dr. Langlois does spay/neuters on rodents!

Thursday morning I met Randy at his Casa el' Gato and set down three carriers. We both figured the cats would run right into them. But they didn't. Freakish as ever, they hunkered down and stood their ground. It took some gentle nudging with a broom to get them moving and finally after what seemed like a stressful eternity, 6 were in!

Stu and I took the lucky cats to their new barn homes. There are three barns at The Double JJ Ranch. One is currently holding two hell house cats and two young cats who were already living there (and just got fixed). The other is holding 4 hell house cats including crazy Houdini (who gave Randy a parting swap and left him bloody.....the little bugger).

Here are pix of their new digs. They will stay in cages for two full weeks (to aclimate to the sights, sounds and smells. Then the cage doors will be propped open and they will be free to roam. In early November, I'll return to take the cages away. The cages will be set up in the big barn and the 6 remaining "feral" hell house cats will be taken there to be homed.

Hopefully these guys will be good mousers. If not, Randy and Roxanne....you may be getting them back!

Thanks to all who have followed their story, donated money to their care and prayed for my sanity since taking them on in April.

: ) Carol

This is the smaller barn.
Two Double JJ Ranch Kittens and two Hell House Cats will reside here.
There are horses who live here too!

Easy access to the loft via hay stack, half wall, top of closet and loft!

This is where two will be homed.
See black kitty in the photo. This is Mia.
She belongs to one of the wranglers.
All the wranglers are cat lovers and are were welcoming to the Hell House 6!

Two for the small barn!

This is the medium sized barn where 4 Hell House cats will reside.
Stumpy Joe and Houdini are the only two I can recognize. It isn't hard.
Stumpy Joe has no tail (remember...he had to have it amputated)
and Houdini is just plain crazy and it shows in his eyes.

This is the inside of the barn. I suspect the cats will put the old sleigh
to use in getting up and down from their loft home
once the cage doors are opened.

A room with a view. These cats have never had a view.
When they lived in the hell house, they were completely closed in.
The widows were boarded up so nobody could see exactly how many cats the hoarder had.
At Roxanne and Randy's place, they were in a basement bedroom without windows.
(A very nice room, but no natural lighting.)
To my knowledge this is their first real long term look at daylight.

More comfortable as a group!

8 feet of end to end cage will give them plenty of wiggle room if they ever
come out of the "pile on" in the carrier.

I'm on petfinder! I'M ON PETFINDER!

Hot Diggity Dog! I'm on Petfinder.com.

This is exactly what I needed. A place where people can see my adorable little kittens and hopefully give them a home. If you know ANYONE looking for a kitten, please send them this link:

http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/MI556.html

You can also click on the link to the right and be taken directly to my petfinder home page!

It really feels "official" now.

Oh my god, I'm a cat rescue!

: ) Carol

Rummage Sale to Benefit Crash's Landing

It's that time of year again! Crash's Landing is having their "HUGE FALL YARD SALE" and YOU'RE invited! If it's like the last one, you can get cool retro furniture, electronics, antique pictures, CD's, DVD's, record albums, kitchen items and cool collectibles.

Then on Saturday from 10am-5pm be sure to bring all the kids along for some fun face painting (not limited to kids, if you're game!!!). And all three days you can enjoy a variety of tasty treats from the "YUMMY HOME BAKED GOODS" table.

Join the volunteers at Crash's September 22nd-September 24th from sunrise to sunset at 1545 Diamond NE. between Leonard and Knapp. All money raised will go to Crash's landing a non-profit no kill animal shelter.

P.S If you have anything you'd like to donate ALL is welcome. Call ahead to make arrangements...821-6065.

Iggy and Joel

Hello Feral Friends-

Got a call from my operatives in Cedar Springs...Sharon and Sandy. You know...the ladies who really got the ball rolling for me in the trailer park!

They found two kittens when dropping trash at the dumpster. They brought them home, put them in a carrier and called me.

Let me introduce Iggy and Joel (Gray). Get it...he is GRAY! These are the latest Limited Edition Cedar Springs Kittens. Take one home today!!!!!

This is Iggy. Iggy is a wonderful light gray DSH.
He must have caught his tail in something early on because there is quite a kink in it.
But it doesn't seem to bother him a bit.
His Native American name is Iggy Crooked Tail.

Following along in the alphabet, we have Joel.
My friend Stu came up with the name for this dark gray boy.
Joel Gray. I needed a J name and this was the perfect fit!

HELP!

Hello Feral Friends-

I need a kitten foster. PRONTO! If any of you have a spare bedroom or a small area of your home that you can foster some kittens who are fun, playful and eating on their own, I could really use your help!

I am pulling kittens out of Cedar Springs at a pretty fair clip and have no where to go with them. They will need to be fostered till they are fixed and adopted. I currently have 5 in cages in my garage as one of my fosters just had to give me 3 kittens back because her sweet little girl is having asthma attacks since they came to her home. Cages are OK for a while, but kittens need people to love them and help socialize them. These are friendly kittens....not feral, but still need that human bond which will make them super awesome pets.

I'm also in need of dog cages/crates. If you have any that you no longer use, please contact me ASAP at 616 560-0555. Also, huge cat carriers. I need them to "overnight" cats that are having surgery the next day. They need to be big enough for a cat to lay down and also have a shoe box sized litter box placed in the back. If you have any such things that you can spare or loan me, I'd appreciate it greatly.

Thank you for all your support-
Carol

71, 72 & 73

Hello Feral Friends-

What do these numbers represent? YOU ASK!

Well, let me tell you.

I FINALLY got a response from one of my many "Barn Cat Available" fliers. I sent them to tractor supply and feed stores all over the west side of the state.

A dear woman named Susan called me looking for a couple of friendly cats to rid them of the mouse problem on their little chicken ranch. Of course I have 14 very unfriendly Hell House Cats, but they wouldn't be ideal residents at this farm because Susan has two lovely daughters named Corrine and Kendra who want to lavish lots of love on them.

Enter Gleason and Carney, two very lucky boys from Cedar Springs. I trapped Gleason and Carney on September 1st and kept them caged in my garage for 10 days treating them both for upper respiratory infections. Had they not had URIs, I would have released them the next day. Who would think that URIs would change their lives for the better.

They were both friendly strays that I could have returned to Cedar Springs, but the call came through just at the right time so I took them to Susan's barn/workshop/chicken coop.

The girls fell in love and renamed the cats Tiger and Shadow.

Then, a day later I got a call from my dear rescue friend Kristi who needed a home for a boy she rescued. Kristi fell upon a situation in Allegan County where a woman who was caring for 40+ outdoor cats passed away and left them in a really bad way. Neighbors were no help were even stealing the food that Kristi would set out for them. So far Kristi has pulled over 30 cats off the property and is working on the last 10 or so. She needed a home for this special guy named Michael. Poor Michael is such a lover and not a fighter that he lost a cat battle a while back which left him blind in his left eye.

I called Susan and asked if the girls might like a third cat. She said yes without hesitation! So today Kristi brought Michael to my place and this afternoon he traveled to Dr. Langlois for shots then went straight to the chicken ranch. Get this...the lady who took care of him all these years also raised chickens...so he will be right at home.

Isn't this a great story.
God, it makes it all worthwhile!

Here are pix of the three boys. They are still confined to cages for a bit till they get "homed". Then they will have free run of the property!

Thank you Susan, Corrine and Kendra for opening your hearts to these boys in need!
Much love and appreciation!
Carol

OH YEAH.....what's up with the numbers in the title of the blog.....
Prior to the cats joining the menagerie, the family had 62 chickens, 3 ducks, 2 ex-racehorses, 2 dogs, and a frog. The cats make pets numbers 71, 72 and 73!

This is Carney who is Kendra's cat.
He has been renamed Shadow (for now).

This is Gleason who is Corrine's Cat.
He has been renamed Tiger.
He is very brave and likes to come out of his cage.

This is Michael (soon to be renamed Noah).
He is blind in one eye so he will probably only be able to catch
half as many mice as his farm brothers Tiger and Shadow.
Because Shadow is a little scared of his own shadow and isn't turning on the charm,
Kendra may make Michael/Noah her cat and everyone can share Shadow.

Special Limited Edition Cedar Springs Kittens

Hello Feral Friends-

Let me introduce you to some very special kittens. These are some of what I hope to be the last unwanted kittens born into Cedar Springs Mobile Estates. Ok, Ok, I know what you are saying....but a girl can dream....right?

These kittens are in foster care awaiting adoption. If you are interested in adopting any of these kittens please contact me. Their adoption fee will be only what money I have invested in medical bills and nothing else. With spay neuter, they will likely be around $40-60 each and include shots.





This is El' Gato. I was picking dropping off cats last week and a girl was walking through the park holding this little kitten, looking for someone to take it off her hands. Well, she walked down the right street at the right time, cuz there I was. Upon some detective work on the part of a boy on a bicycle, the kitten was found to have been cared for by a nice hispanic woman. Luckily she had a friend visiting who could transulate English/Spanish for us. Seems that she had found the kitten in the park and was taking care of it to the best of her ability, but it wandered off. When I showed her the kitten's right eye, she agreed that he needed better care than she could provide and allowed me to take him and find him a home. Dr. Langlois saw El' Gato the next day and diagnosed his eye problem as a scratch. He is currently getting dosed with antibiotic eye ointment 3-4 times daily. Today he will be going to Pat Baxter's kitten fostery. (Is fostery a word? Now it is!)

Right now he looks a little odd, but El' Gato is a sweet little boy who will be quite a strapping lad once his eye heals up. Please consider giving him a forever home!



This is Fanny! Fanny and her two brothers, Gus and Harry were found outside of a trailer playing in the yard while their flame point siamese mother watched on from a chair just off of the porch. I knocked on the door to see if the cat and kittens were owned. A guy named Jim said that he feeds them, but they are not owned by anyone. So Barb Olson and I snatched them up. I fixed the mother who Jim named Halloween and returned her to the park a few days later. When I got there, Jim announced that he would be keeping her as his own cat. Yeah for Halloween! Thank you Jim!! Fanny is the laid back one of the bunch. She is a very sweet little girl who would rather not deal with her brothers as they are a bit too much into the roughousing! She likes to play, but I think she is going to be the ultimate lap cat. If you are interested in adopting her, please let me know! She is a wonderful buff color and has hair as soft as silk!





This is Gus. If you can't tell, I'm naming these kittens from Cedar Springs in Alphabetical Order. Gus is the name of my maternal grandfather. He was a really cool guy though I never had the opportunity to meet him. But when YOU meet THIS Gus, you will see what a love he really is. He is a short haired light orange tabby. He is super playful and digs people! He and his siblings are currently being fostered at Iantha and Paul's place and is being cared for by her adorable daughter Cecilia. Gus and his sibs will be used to small children and other cat and thus be perfect additions to homes with both!



Harry is a cage climber! He loves attention of humans and his brother Gus. He likes to play and climb, and play and climb. This super soft long haired orange tabby boy is a cuddle bug too! Like his siblings, he will be well acclimated to kids and other cats! Consider giving him a forever home...won't you?

Well, that's it for now. Keep an eye out for all my adoptable Cedar Springs cats by viewing them on the link to the right titled, "Adoptable Rescued Cats & Kittens in Grand Rapids".

Need a nursing mother for 5 kittens!!!!

*****UPDATE...I just got word that a nursing mother has been found.
*****Rest well...kittens will be fine!



Hello Feral Friends

I just got a call from a woman who rescued 5 kittens.

5 kittens

3 days old

Mother was hit by car and killed 24 hours after giving birth.

Denise is bottle feeding and caring for them.

But she needs a nursing mother with very young kittens that she can hand these over to.

If you know anyone with a nursing mother that can take one, two, three or all of her kittens, please contact Denise ASAP at

616 837-9443.

Please forward this to anyone in the area (and outside GR as well...Denise will travel) that you think can help.

Thanks so much

Carol

Operation CS - STATS UPDATE

Hello Feral Friends-

Here is the three week total from Cedar Springs.
I know many of you are interested in these stats, so here goes.

In the first thee weeks of Operation Cedar Springs, with the help of Barb Olson, Lisa Kader, Sharon & Sandy, Cooperation of the Park Management, Dr. Bruce Langlois and Vicky's Pet Connection, I was able to:

Spay 43 cats and kittens & test 55 for FELV.
Of these cats tested, 6 were positive for FELV,
5 were euthanized, and one passed on his own after surgery.

Today is Labor Day, but cats need to be fixed and tested so Barb is riding shot gun with me again tonight to pick up more cats in Cedar Springs.

Soon Amy Pietras will come out with me and give the FELV vaccine boosters to the cats that were returned to their owners.

I feel really good today!
Thank you for your support!

Much love-
Carol

Dog Walk to Benefit C-SNIP

Hi Everyone! It is that time of year again for the
Canine Capers Dog Walk to benifit C-SNIP.

This is a really fun event for the entire family! This year we have a lot more fun things planned for the day. Along with our annual contests of things such as biggest dog, longest dog, shortest dog, youngest dog and much more, we have an agility course to try your dog out in, an artist, a photographer, balloons for the kids, a small silent auction, many many different vendors! It will be a full day of fun!

The walk is scheduled for Sept 30th and registation begins at 9am with the walk starting at 10am. It is through the beautiful Riverside Park area. Snippy, the mascot of C-SNIP will be on hand to play with the kids and pets.

For more information or to obtain a pdf flier via email,
contact Kathy at Kathykatldy1@aol.com

Remember Greg?

Hello Feral Friends-

Remember Greg? He was the last cat I trapped at Burger King back in March. I called him "The Big Daddy of Them All" because I'm pretty sure he was the pappa of all those gray/black tabbies I trapped there earlier.

If you can't remember him that way, you will for sure remember him for the huge bloody sores behind both ears. I had him fixed at C-SNIP but while rehabbing him, I couldn't let those big open wounds go without medical attention. ENTER Jen Petrovich!!! Greg's savior!! She decided to take him into Crash's Landing. Imagine my relief. Imagine HIS!

So Greg went to Crash's and became Gregory. It's the only cat that Jen took from me and kept the name I gave him. Well, she took M-N-M in later and kept his name but Barb Olson named him!

Gregory was a cubby cat and didn't come out too much. He was very shy and hid out most of the time. ENTER Andy Hoban!!! Greg's second savior!! Andy is a volunteer at Crash's who worked with Gregory every time he visited the sanctuary. He worked and worked on this scared little soul till he gained his trust and eventually BROUGHT HIM HOME TO LIVE WITH HIM!!! Yes! Andy adopted Gregory!!!

What a happy ending! If I did nothing else with cats, this would have been enough for me to say that I had a good year! I'm elated. I'm touched. And I'm a HUGE fan of Andy Hoban! Bless you dear man for all your efforts to bring this boy around....and give him a forever home!!!

: ) Carol

HERE IS A RECENT UPDATE FROM GREGORY'S DAD, ANDY HOBAN:

He's doing great! He's happy as can be and is still inspecting every corner of the house. Surprisingly, he loves to play- with toys, with the other cats, and with his people. We've had him for 2 weeks and his shyness has pretty well disappeared. About 5:30 this morning, he decided that I'd had enough sleep and started attacking my hands. He insisted that I wrestle with him. After about 15 minutes, he stopped playing with me and started chasing another cat all around the house.

Remember how he holed up in that one cubby? Well, I think I've seen him either sleeping or perched everywhere in the house- on or under or beside every couch, chair, bed, or table, or just in the middle of the room.

So far, this is turning out to be a screaming success. Thank you, thank you, thank you for helping him and all the other furry critters. You're making the world a better place.

Updates & pictures to follow soon.
Love ya & see ya.
Andy

This is Greg the night I trapped him! Look at that ear!
The other was just as bad!
He had a horrible case of ear mites and he scratched himself bloody!

Gregory having surgery to clean up the wounds!
Viva Jen Petrovich!!

Gregory all healed up!!

Resting Comfortably! No longer outside! No longer at risk!
A happy cat though he still looks a little miserable in this photo!

Operation CS - Round 6 Update

Hello Feral Friends-

Wednesday Night was a good one. Lisa Kader rode shot gun and we managed to pick up 8 cats! Stacy H. (Zig's Mother) told me about a gal across the street who had three kittens that needed to be tested and fixed. I took her cats along with a pretty callico girl from next door. Dee and Steve were finally able to round up Oreo so he got taken in as well. They have been trying to keep him inside so I could take him for surgery, but he always escaped. Wednesday night...his behind was MINE!

The older callico girl under the trailer next door to Stacy H. that wouldn't go into a carrier for Barb on Monday night stepped into a trap on Wednesday. Also, we managed to capture two big 10 and 11 pound toms in two separate locations.

On Thursday I got a call from Lisa Kader. She was taken by some kids to a kitten who was left in a cage on a porch of an abandoned trailer. No food or water in the cage and the kitten had been in there since SUNDAY! Yeah! I know....RIGHT! Lisa immediately took the kitten to her house/rescue/haven for all animals and fed her. The little torti girl is now with me pending testing and spaying on Tuesday. Lisa and Larry would have kept her but without having her tested for FELV, she would pose risk to their existing cats. So she is hanging out with me and the three trapped cats who will be released back to the park on Monday when Barb and I return to pick up some more!

It's good having the strays over for a few days. Some have tape worms, others have URIs and at least I can treat them for fleas and such before returning them. Their lives will never be perfect, but at least they can have a little relief from some of what strays and ferals have to deal with in their homeless lives.

All is well, all is good! Op CS is coming along nicely.
Thanks for keeping up with me!
Carol